Health Alert: Customs detains 9 smugglers over N537.5m expired seasonings, other contraband

*The Nigeria Customs Service restates that poultry products remain a prohibited item under the Federal Government’s import list because of its attendant health and economic implications on consumers

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

As part of efforts at tackling smuggling while safeguarding the health of consumers, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, in Lagos, has arrested nine smugglers.

ConsumerConnect learnt the Federal Government’s regulatory agency nabbed the suspects in connection with 201 cartons of expired seasoning (chicken cubes and some contraband valued at N537.5million.

Kehinde Ejibunu, Acting Deputy Comptroller of the Anti-Smuggling Unit of NCS, listed some of the seizures as 7,261 bags of 50 kilogrammes of foreign parboiled rice (equivalent to 12 trucks loads); and I,600 bags of basmati rice (5kg each).

Ejibunu disclosed other contraband include I34,725 litres of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS); 39 bales of used clothes; 225 pieces of used tyres; 331 cartons of frozen poultry; 6 units of used imported cars; 2,634 cartons of slippers/shoes; 900 pairs of used shoes, and 42 units of used motorcycles among others.

The Acting Deputy Comptroller also said that poultry products remain a prohibited item under the country’s import list because of its attendant health and economic implications, report noted.

According to him, the Federal Government has banned the importation of poultry products in order to support the growth of the country’s domestic poultry farms.

The measure is as well to protect the Nigerian poultry farmers from undue foreign competition.